Oneil Cruz Ninth Inning Home Run Lifts Pirates Past Padres

Oneil Cruz hit a two-out, solo home run in the ninth inning on Tuesday night to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego.

Cruz broke a scoreless tie by hitting a 98-mph low changeup off San Diego closer Mason Miller into the right-field seats for his 17th home run of the season. The solo shot ended Miller's streak of 73 consecutive appearances without allowing a home run, a run stretching back over a year to Aug. 5, 2025.

The late home run decided a tight pitchers' duel between starters Paul Skenes and Michael King. Skenes threw six scoreless innings for Pittsburgh, allowing three hits and zero walks while striking out four. The outing marked his first appearance without allowing an earned run or a walk since May 12.

King matched Skenes by delivering seven scoreless innings for San Diego. The Padres right-hander threw first-pitch strikes to 24 of the 26 batters he faced, allowing five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts before leaving the game without a decision.

Pittsburgh's bullpen held San Diego hitless over the final three frames. Gregory Soto earned the win after pitching a scoreless eighth inning, and Mason Montgomery retired the Padres in the ninth to record his sixth save of the season. Miller took the loss for San Diego, dropping his record to 4-2.

With the victory, the Pirates improved to 64-69 on the season while ending San Diego's streak of consecutive wins. The Padres fell to 71-61 but maintained their position in the National League Wild Card race.

The three-game series concludes on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park. Right-hander Bubba Chandler is scheduled to start on the mound for Pittsburgh, while Randy Vasquez is expected to pitch for San Diego.